


Community Policing

by CN Delta (CN_Delta)



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alcohol, Attempted Seduction that Borders on Non-Con, F/M, Gen, Give Calli a Chance, Guzma Being Guzma, Nanu is pawning his job off on someone, Original Character(s), Pokemon Battle, Rating May Change, Swearing, Tags May Change, tags will be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2019-12-07 08:01:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CN_Delta/pseuds/CN%20Delta
Summary: Alola is a place where dreams can either come true or fade away.  Stuck somewhere between the two, a young woman ends up taking a job as the newest trainee on Ula'Ula's police force - and is tasked with the unenviable job of keeping tabs on Team Skull.  But with a colorful history of her own and being placed in an even more colorful situation, she's determined to make things work.  Even if it ends up being more unimaginable than her wildest dreams.(And oh yes, there will be lewds.)((Constructive Criticism highly encouraged!  This is all experimental for me, so I appreciate any feedback!))





	1. Calliandra

**Author's Note:**

> I promised I'd post "the rest of the story that goes with this" when I first posted up 'Po Town's Finest', so... in honor of Guzma finally showing up in the anime, here it is!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Calliandra, Alola's newest failure!

 

I hadn't been in Alola more than a month before I started to realize that my childlike dreams of becoming a wealthy, big-name Pokémon trainer weren't going to come to fruition any time soon - nor financially sustain themselves.  Paradise wasn't cheap, and while the people were some of the friendliest I'd ever met (with one exception, we'll get to the old man shortly), my own pride just wouldn't let me survive on the kindness and generosity of others - let alone continue to live on couches and in spare rooms - much longer.

The job advertisement was so perfect that I hadn't even finished reading it before I had my phone in my hand - **POLICE TRAINEE NEEDED IN ULA'ULA.  21+. ACCOMMODATIONS PROVIDED FOR SELECTED CANDIDATE.  CALL** **555-556-6729** **.**  

 

"Hello."

" _Hi!_   Hey, uh, hello sir!"  I cringed at how overly enthusiastic I sounded.  "I - uh - I'm calling about the ad in-"

"How soon can you start?"

"I - uh!"  Either I was being roped into a scam, or they were desperate for help.  The chance was worth taking given my current situation - "As soon as you need me to, s-"

"Tonight."

"T-tonight?  What ti-"

"Any time you can get here."

"All right, uh -"  I looked at the clock, as if I had plans to worry about (I didn't.)  "I-I should be there by 6."

"What's your name?"

"Calliandra Maxwell, sir."

"See you tonight."

"Wait, what's your-"

 

He'd hung up before I could finish asking for his name; obviously it must be an insanely busy police force if they'd hire me _that_ fast, probably had no time for formalities either.  I looked down at my faithful Litten and gave him a gentle pet, waking him briefly from his cat-nap.   "Guess what, Scorch?"

Tired yellow eyes stared back at mine with disinterest.

"I think I found us a job!"

With all the enthusiasm that feline Pokémon are famous for, Scorch yawned at me and curled into a tighter ball on his bed.

"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence, bud."  I ruffled his fur the wrong way (the best way to annoy a Litten) and jumped to my feet, glancing around my current borrowed spare room to take a quick inventory of what was and wasn't mine (the Pokémon trophies most assuredly weren't.)  "Well, at least packing won't take too long."  Hopefully my current hosts wouldn't be home when I left; I've never been great with goodbyes.

Luckily enough the place was deserted, so I scrawled out a quick "thank you for your hospitality" and taped it to the table where I knew the couple putting me up would see it.  The last thing I did before I left was to stop in the living room one last time and stare at the photo of the boy on the wall.  My host said his son had run away sometime during or after his Island Challenge (a custom I was still learning about), but just from what I'd observed during my stay I had a feeling there was a lot more to it.  Golf clubs don't just bend themselves.

Something about the tall, silver-eyed, dark-haired boy in the photo just captivated me.  His smile was genuine, his expression of hope... heh, that must have been what I looked like before I ran away from home, too.  Sure, I could still smile.  But those bright hopes were now dimmed by the bitter, salty flavor of trying to make it on your own, and the fact that all I had to show for myself was a rap sheet and the stray Litten I picked up off the streets by the Melemele seaport.

"Mew?"

"Good point, bud."  We definitely needed to get going if we were going to make the ferry.  But that didn't stop me from snapping a photo of the boy on the wall before we left.

 

Scorch has understandably never liked water, between being both feline _and_ a fire type, so he spent the entire ferry ride in his Luxury Ball (only the best for my best bud.)  I had only half expected someone from the PD to meet me at the ferry terminal, so there was little surprise when nobody was there after I disembarked at Malie City.  Better off, anyway - I was _badly_ in need of a haircut before I saw my potential employers, and the salon was just a short jog away.

Of course a stop into the clothing shop for a new, interview-ready skirt followed, and as I put my blue contacts in I admired my fantastic new haircut in the mirror: short enough to be professional but long enough to look stylish, and a fabulous shade of honey-blonde.  "Scorch, tell me how I look!"  

I triggered his release in front of the shop, and Scorch seemed startled by my new appearance for a second.  Then, after sniffing my ankles to make sure it was me, he gave me an excited "Mew!" and rubbed against my legs. 

"Yeah, I guess I do clean up nice."  Laughing softly, I scooped him up and put him on my shoulder.  "C'mon bud - let's go find our new digs."

Getting to Route 17 took us all around Ula'Ula Island, and oh was it ever beautiful.  I didn't want to leave the meadow we were finally crossing through before reaching the police station; fields of brilliant red flowers dotted by ponds, and a boardwalk throughout the expanse with plenty of scenic views.  And here there was a variety of Oricorio I had never even seen, beautiful fire-red birds with a salsa dance to their step - which thankfully for my dumb little Litten were also Fire types, or else the tousle he'd gotten into with one might not have ended in his favor.

"I... I guess this must be...?"

We'd barely stepped foot onto Route 17 when it started to rain, so I quickly tucked Scorch under my shirt to keep him dry and made a run for the police station.

" _Mreee-ow!_ "

I nearly leapt out of my skin, then started laughing to myself as I realized it was only a Meowth curled up next to the station wall.  "Hey kitty," I cooed, reaching down to pat its head.  "What're doing out in the ra-"

" _Yo_ \- quit messin' wit' my Meowth, yo!"

This time I was even closer to leaping out of my skin, jumping back about two feet as some blue-haired punk came swaggering over with the most wanna-be gangster moves I had ever seen.  "Hey - sorry, I was just saying hi!  I'm a cat-lover."  Scorch chose this moment to pop his head out through the collar of my shirt, mewing inquisitively.  "See?"

"Oh, shit - yo is that a _Litten?!_ "  His expression seemed to brighten despite the bandanna that covered his nose and mouth, and he started to approach me.  "Yo, can I-"

" _No._ "

The punk and I both froze and spun to face the source of the voice, standing directly in front of the door of the police station.

"A-aw nah, Mr. Nanu - Officer - Sir - I really wasn't gonna-"

"You're going to look me in the eye and tell me you weren't about to steal her Litten."

Whoever this guy was, he and his half-lidded, unblinking, crimson-eyed stare had the poor punk cowering.  ...and honestly, I wasn't far off myself.

"N-no!  You - ya know me an' the Meowth, we always out here - I ain't lookin' for any trouble!  Promise!"

The man was silent for a few more seconds and then sighed, nodding his head once.  "All right, stay out of trouble."  His stern face turned towards me.  "You Calliandra?"

"That would be me, sir."

Another nod.  "Come inside."

The map of lines across his face and short grey hair told me that this was a man who had seen and done a lot in his many years, but his fairly slouched posture and generally unenthusiastic demeanor told me that he wasn't proud of most of it.  "If you like Meowth," he muttered, pushing open the door to the police station, "you're in the right place."

I had heard stories of Crazy Meowth Ladies, but never once heard of a Crazy Meowth Man.  This police station housed no less than seven Meowth and at least one _very_ large Persian, with no one else in sight but this... whatever his name was.  Sad-man.

"They're all friendly," he continued, walking around a tall counter.  "Put your things wherever.  Coffee?"

"Oh, I'd love one, thanks - just black is fine!"  I set my backpack on the floor and gingerly sat on the couch, noting the layer of fur that covered just about everything.  Now I was faced with either trying to seem professional, or rolling around the floor with the pride of Meowth while cooing at how adorable they all were.  The big Persian made the decision very easy when she strolled across the room, rubbed against my legs, and then made herself at home on the couch next to me with her giant paws across my lap.  (Scorch climbed out of my shirt and hissed pathetically at her, but took off running across the room as soon as the big cat yawned and showed her fangs.)

"Here you g- oh!"  The old man seemed amused that the Persian was next to me as he handed me my coffee.  "Well.  She's a good judge of character - maybe that's a sign."

There was an uncomfortable span of silence after he sat in the chair across from me, broken only by the increasingly loud purrs of the sentry Persian and then finally my own voice - "I didn't catch your name, sir."

"...Nanu."  His gaze drifted back to me.

"Nice to meet you, Offi-"

"Just Nanu."  He sipped his coffee, crossing one sandalled foot across his knee.  "So, what made you answer the ad?"

"Well, I... I need a job."  His eyes didn't blink as he watched me, almost as though he knew there were more to it.  "...and we - me and my Litten... honestly we could use the place to stay.  I'm not from around here and I... kinda came to the islands without much of a plan.  At all."

"I knew you couldn't be from around here."  He said it matter-of-factly, placing his mug down on the table next to him.  "Any Alolan native would have to be crazy to come here."

I tilted my head, curious.  "Why's that?"

"I'm guessing from your interaction outside that you've never heard of Team Skull."

The name had been mentioned in passing a few times, some local gang of teenage hoodlums and degenerates, but never enough that I gave it much thought.  "I've _heard_ of them, but-"

"Team Skull took over Po Town some time ago."  Nanu sipped his coffee again, his eyes sliding over to look at me.  "That's the giant walled town next door."

I nodded a bit, idly stroking Persian's head as my Litten clambered up onto the couch next to her in a bid for my attention.  "So what's up with Team Skull?  Aren't they just a bunch of kids?"

"They're kids all right.  They're also thieves and known for wreaking havoc all over Alola."  He placed his mug down and turned the chair to face me completely, his tone just a bit more serious.  "Their ring-leader, Guzma, makes money off stealing Alolan Pokémon and selling them in other regions.  That and Slowpoke tails."

The fact that Slowpoke tail was a delicacy never failed to baffle and somewhat disgust me, but different strokes and all that.  Not my place to judge.  "So... what you're telling me is that we're smack in the center of gang territory?"

"Yes."  He gestured towards the door with his head.  "The one out there - that's one of Guzma's grunts.  But he's a decent kid and he likes the Meowth, so I let him hang out here.  Keeps the rest of them out of my hair."  Standing slowly, he scratched the back of his head.  "But they're growing in numbers, and I've... got some other things that I need to deal with.  Think you can handle it?"

Never would I have imagined that I, the Queen of Under-Achievers, would end up signing onto a gang task force in a tropical paradise.  And yet here I was, shaking hands with Offi- er, "just Nanu", handing my life over to him for at least the next few months.  Zero law enforcement experience, but according to mysterious old Nanu and the bone chilling smile that he suddenly wore - "Don't worry about all that.  We have some... unconventional methods here on Ula'Ula."


	2. Thieves Like Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our boy Guzma shows up and things get more complicated.

I spent that night on the couch in the police station, snuggled amongst Scorch and three of the resident Meowth.  (Thankfully for as possessive as he is of me, my Litten isn't the type to get into scuffles with other domestic Pokémon.)  It wasn't the accommodations I was expecting, but Nanu said there would be "more waiting just down the road."

I awoke the next morning to a gruff, "You're awake," from the old man, who then placed a plate of eggs and some coffee on a TV tray in front of me.

"Thanks," I murmured, eyes half open and barely concerned with the mess my hair had become or the amount of Litten and Meowth fur all over me.  Seemed the man liked his eggs done the same way I did - bland and over-cooked to the point of being dry.

"Hope this fits."  He placed a black uniform shirt similar to the one he wore on the couch next to me, then gave me that creepy smile again.  "Doesn't need to be buttoned."

I would have mistaken that for something more suggestive if he hadn't tugged on his own shirt, which he wore open over a tee shirt.  "O-oh.  Oh!  Great."  (I had admittedly been a little concerned about the shirt not fitting properly; given the condition of the police station, it was unlikely that a woman had been on staff in over 20 years, if ever.  And men's shirts never button properly over women's chests.)

"Hurry up and get dressed."

I tilted my head at him, the last mouthful of eggs still in my face and preventing me from speaking.

"Gonna have company soon, don't think you want to be seen in your Pikachu onesie."

I happen to adore my Pikachu kigu and would gladly wear it around town, but - professionalism.  Right.  I flipped the hood over my head and glared at him from underneath it, which got the half-smile I was hoping for from my new host/boss, then quickly excused myself to the bathroom to change into my uniform.

As I was finishing the last bit of dressing and brushing my hair, I heard the bang of the front door being thrown open and another voice out in the main room - "Yo, _Nanu!_   You stupid or somethin'?! What's the big idea callin' me out in the rain, old man?!"

"I want you to meet someone."

" _Meet_ someone?  _Tch_ , it better be the fuckin' Tapu if-“

“ _Watch_ your language, there’s a lady present.”

“A _lady?_   What, you try'na set me up on a _date_ or somethin'?"

"Not in your wildest dreams, kid."

"Who you callin' _kid?!_ "

I straightened my black pleated skirt and hair, and made sure the shirt was straight (and open) over my black tank top before exiting the bathroom and heading towards the source of the commotion.

" _Yooooooo_ \- you hire a _stripper_ , old man?!"

I couldn't help but crack a smile at the cliched sexism, and the tall boy responsible for it.  He looked like the evolved form of a punk, a baggy black short sleeved hoodie and equally as baggy black pants hiding what looked to be a decently strong frame; dark hair that had been shaven short at the sides but left bushy and bleached white at the top, accented by a mismatched pair of gold sunglasses on his head; and more gold bling than most movie stars would be caught dead wearing.  "Who the hell is _this_ guy?"

The boy - man? - recoiled as though I'd insulted his great ancestors, standing up straight and crossing his arms.  " _This_ guy?!" he huffed, a psychotic scowl on his face.  " _This_ guy is ya' worst freakin' nightmare, girlie!  _This guy_ is-"

"Guzma."  Nanu was having none of his posturing, and stepped between me and the enraged, evolved punk.  "And as always, _kid_ , nobody here is impressed."  He turned to look at me and gestured with one hand.  "This is Calliandra.  She's my new trainee."

" _Trainee?!_ "  The white haired boy cackled, re-folding his arms.  "What's'a'mattah, ya gettin' too old to keep up with Team Skull?"

"Old?  No."  Nanu moved to the armchair and sat down, cracking that nasty smile of his up at the gang leader.  "Annoyed, bored, tired of baby-sitting your little band of of miscreants, maybe.  But not old."

Again Guzma looked ready to blow his top, and I hadn't even realized I was doing it but-

"The hell _you_ smilin' at, blondie?!"

It hadn't been intentional, but this guy - sorry, I mean _Guzma, my worst freakin' nightmare_ \- reminded me of myself some years back: a huge chip on my shoulder and ready to set the world on fire.  "Sorry," I feigned apologetically, nodding my head at him.  "I was just amused by the irony of a gangster trying to throw his weight around in a _police station_."

Guzma screwed his face up at me, then glanced to Nanu.  "So when'd she show up?"

"Just last night."  Nanu looked up at me, gesturing towards the wild white-haired mess.  "Guzma and I have an... amiable working relationship."

"Relationship, tch!"  The boy rolled his eyes.  "It's an _agreement_ , geezer.  You don't mess wit' us, an'-"

"We don't mess with you.  I know."  His eyes closed gently.  "Anything that happens behind that wall is none of my concern."

"E'zactly."

"Which is why-"  He opened one eye and looked at Guzma, then myself.  "-I assume you'll have no issue with my new trainee staying in one of the houses by the mansion."

_...mansion?_

" _WHAAAAA?!_ "  Guzma again went from 0 to 100, cackling wildly and then giving each of us an irate stare in turn.  "Ya _real_ funny, old man."

"I'm dead serious."

Suddenly I wasn't so sure that this was going to be any better than the past month of couch-surfing.  The aging cop and the presumably 20-something gang boss were now at a stalemate, each staring the other down with expressions that could only be described as _"HELL NO"_ and _"Deal with it"_ ; my own was likely somewhere between _"Should I leave?"_ and _"Yeah, I should probably leave"_.

A very small, furry commotion was the thing that finally broke the tension.  Guzma made a surprised noise and moved one of his feet, only to find Scorch angrily attacking his shoelaces.  ...which, within a matter of seconds, turned into Scorch rolling around on his back happily tangled up in the mess of shoelaces.

"Holy shit - _yo_ , is that a _Litten?!_ "

"He's mine, I'm sorry," I responded, leaning forwards to scold my miserable excuse for a protector.  "Scorch!  What the hell are you-"

Before I could move, Guzma bent down and scooped Scorch up in his big hands.  "Lookit this little maniac!" he grinned, ignoring Scorch's obvious anger, and held him up over his head.  "Litten used Scratch!"  Then, as he lowered Scorch back to his eye level, "It wasn't very effective, was it little guy?"

"Guzma."  Nanu was eyeing him very sternly, and pointed at the floor.  "Put the Litten down."

" _Jeez_ , relax old man!"  Guzma was still grinning widely, apparently enamored by my pint-sized bodyguard and scratching Scorch's chin while Scorch took every available opportunity to bite the tip of his finger.  "Oh man, yo he's a fighter too!  I like this guy!"

"You can't have him."

It was Nanu that spoke, and Guzma glanced sideways at him.  "...what, you think I'm gonna steal every Pokémon I touch?"

"Yes."

Another few seconds passed with Guzma completely ignoring everything around him except for the small, angry Litten in his hands, and then he shrugged and gently placed Scorch back down on the floor.  "Yeah, ya' prolly right.  But holy shit yo, that little guy is _ballsy!_   What you say ya name was, girlie?"

Scorch had bolted up into my lap and was now giving Guzma a very tiny death stare, which I was trying very hard not to laugh at.  "Calliandra."

"So - Officer Calli, huh?"  He folded his arms again and smiled at me for a moment, really more of a sneer, looking me over as though he were sizing me up.  "Ya must be one hell of a trainer if ya got that little guy playin' guard dog!"

I choked on them before I could get the words "actually I'm not" out of my mouth, thankfully Nanu spoke up before I even needed to - "I take it you'll let her pick her own place to stay, Guzma."

The gangster spun from me to Nanu and growled audibly.  "The fuck makes ya think I’m gonna go along with this?!"

Nanu raised an eyebrow at him.  "Rent money."

“...ya gonna pay _us_ to let the princess here stay in Po Town.”  He sounded incredulous.

“That was my plan, yes.  300 a month.”

"Tch - try 500!"

" _Three-hundred_ a month, Guzma."

Guzma’s eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth, then snorted.  " _Fine_ , but I swear old man - if this is some trick ta try an' mess wit' us, ya gonna have the wrath of Team Skull comin' down on ya' worse than-"

" _Guzma._ "  This was probably the first time I ever saw Nanu open his eyes more than halfway, giving him a much larger and more intimidating version of the death stare that Scorch had attempted earlier.  "Enough.  Take Officer Calliandra.  Find her a nice place.  Have the grunts clean it up if need be."

"Oh, _now_ ya-"

"I will be _paying_ you _extra_."

Guzma stopped short and raised one eyebrow.  "...how much extra we talkin'?

"Enough to cover your time and effort."

The gangster smiled and shrugged.  "Ain't gonna be _my_ effort, but a'ight!"  He thrust one hand out towards Nanu.  "Shake on it!"

Nanu continued to give him the death stare and only raised his hand in order to point at the door.  "Go.  Now."

Guzma's grin turned a little darker as he withdrew his hand, but he shrugged again and spun to face me.  "C'mon toots, let's go find ya' new dream home."

I wasn't sure how or if I should even react to the unwelcome pet name as I stood, but again Nanu came to my rescue - " _OFFICER._ "

"Yeah, yeah - c'mon Officer Toots, let's go before the geezer has a heart attack."

Part of me really did want to laugh, and as we headed for the door I glanced towards Nanu and caught the slightest hint of amusement in his own expression as well.  "I'll head back when we're done, Boss."

The old man waved his hand through the air as one of the Meowth climbed up into his lap.  "Take your time - I'm not going anywhere."

  
  


I found it incredibly hard to draw a bead on Guzma.  His general demeanor came off very  threatening; he slouched while he walked, his swaggering movements predatory, like that of a Persian stalking a Spearow through the brush.  When he stood up straight he towered over just about everyone, and the speed at which he'd go from one posture to the other was jarring enough that it only added to his perceived threat.

"Yo Boss!"  Another punk dressed similarly to the one who hung around outside the police station waved at us from a short distance away; they all wore bandannas over their mouths and white skull beanies, and all seemed to have that very street thug mannerism.  "Boss, you hear about Nanu's new-"

"Who ya' think is walkin' next to me, numskull?!"  Then, under his breath, "Freakin' idiots."  We made our way over to the grunt and I smiled politely, nodding my head a little as Guzma introduced me - "This is the trainee girl, Calli."

The female grunt seemed taken aback, her arms shooting out to her sides.  "Whoa, old man Nanu hired a _girl?!_   Awesome!"

Guzma made that screwed up face again.  "Yeah, awesome, now we got _two_ cops nosin' around our turf!"

_...two?_   Was that - were we _it?_   The middle of gangland and it's just a tired old man and his so far completely incompetent at her entire life trainee?  My mind didn't want to even try to wrap itself around any of this.

"Aw, c'mon Boss, Nanu ain't so bad!  He let me come in an' play with the Meowths the other day when it was rainin' real hard 'cuz I was out tryin' ta catch an Oricorio an' this storm came outta _nowhere_ , an' I was soaked an' it started lightnin'in' an' all this scary stuff, an' he just opened the door an' yelled for me an' the others to get inside, an' he gave us some blankets an' some Tapu Cocoa an' even some treats for the Meowths, an'-"

" _Yeah_ yeah I get it, he's a nice old man, whatever - he's still a _cop_ an' we still gotta be able to get shit done!"

My mind was still slowly turning over itself and trying to process all of this information; was this girl really talking about the same cranky, gruff old man who over-cooked his eggs and seemed like he was sick of everything in the world except for his cats?

"So like, Boss..." The grunt raised an eyebrow at him.  "You givin' her the grand tour or somethin'?"

Guzma scoffed and grinned crookedly, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.  "Yeah, somethin' like that."  He started walking again, calling back over his shoulder as I followed, "Gonna be seeing a lot of Officer Calli around, so let the rest of 'em know she's good!"

"You got it, Boss!"

We were approaching the big metal gate to the walled off town, and the closer we came the more grunts there were loitering around - all of them calling out variations of "Yo Boss!" and trying to tell him about Nanu's new trainee, and every time being replied to with a progressively more flustered variation of "Who the hell ya' think _this_ is?!"

"They're very enthusiastic," I mused, standing alongside him as the big gates opened.

He nodded, though his expression was still one of annoyance.  "Yeah, enthusiastically stupi-"

" _YO, BOSS!_ "

Guzma clenched his teeth and picked himself up straight, roaring, " _I swear TA GOD IF ONE MORE'A YOU TRIES TA TELL ME ABOUT NANU'S NEW TRAINEE I'M GONNA BEAT ALL YA HEADS IN!_ "

The two grunts at the barricade in front of us flinched and looked at each other quizzically, then back up to their boss.  "...so... ya know already?"

Rather than let their enraged leader explode on them again, I stepped forwards and held out my hand.  "Hey guys - I'm Officer Calli, the new trainee."

Both boys' eyes widened, and one of them responded with, "Yoooooooooo - Officer Nanu hired a _girl!_ "

" _Yoooooooo_ \- _and_ she's a _pretty girl_!"

My face probably turned five different shades of red as I laughed awkwardly, shaking each of their hands; Guzma meanwhile had planted his palm firmly over his face.

"Boss, is it cool if - hey, Boss..?"

He looked up from his hand at both of them, croaking, " _What._ "

"So like, is it cool if we let her in?"

"...no, I just brought her here with me ta let her take in the view _OF COURSE IT'S COOL YA BONEHEADS!_ "

The two grunts nodded excitedly and moved part of the barricade, allowing us both entrance to what looked like it used to be a private gated community - long before a group of juvenile delinquents took roost and chased everyone out.  There were beautiful houses on either side of the main stretch of road that had long since been abandoned and were falling into disrepair, and a powerless Poké Center to the right that was covered in graffiti.

The Center wasn't the only thing covered in graffiti - in fact, everywhere you looked was graffiti done in bright shades of every color imaginable, everything from tags to stylized Pokémon, and especially the Team Skull logo (or what I could only assume was their logo, seeing as it was tattooed on both of Guzma's forearms, painted on the back of his hoodie, and emblazoned on that big gold medallion he wore around his neck.)

At the end of the road stood the mansion that Nanu had mentioned earlier, in just as much disrepair as the rest of the former community turned gangster hide-out.  (One really couldn't call it much of a "hide-out", seeing how obvious they were.)  "I take it that's your place up there?"

Guzma grinned at me again, this time in a way that was slightly disconcerting.  "Might be!"  He leaned closer and lowered his voice to the point that it almost sounded like a threat, his lips way too close to my ear - "Why?  Ya wanna see the inside of big bad Guzma's _bedroom_ , girlie?"

His fingers grazed my bare thigh under my skirt and I jerked back, shocked; Guzma just laughed and stared down at me with that same dark smile.  "Guess ya' ain't ready for _that_ part of the tour yet!"

Two could play this game.  "Now, now - are you always so quick with the ladies, Mister Guzma?"

He stood up tall and regarded me with some kind of predatory interest, then slouched to lean close again.  "Ain't nothin' _quick_ about ya' boy Guzma, unless we talkin' about how quick I can get ya' panties off!"

One of his hands snaked behind me and I swiftly grabbed hold of his wrist, forcing his arm back around to his side.  "Or how quick he can get himself castrated, hmm?"

"...more like how quick he can take _your_ balls!"

That wasn't just innuendo; somehow, and don't ask me how, he'd managed to grab my one Luxury Ball with Scorch still inside of it.  " _Not_ funny - give that back!"

Cackling, Guzma stood straight and held the ball up over his head - an excessive maneuver being that he was already that much taller than me.  "Yeah?  An' what if I don't?"

"I'll STILL castrate your overgrown punk ass - now _give it back!_ "

"Makin' threats now?  That ain't very Officer-like!"

I was only a trainee who hadn't yet had one minute of actual police training, and this poor, poor bastard was about to find out that he wasn't the only one who knew how to posture and throw their weight around.  Grabbing him by the open front of his hoodie, I jerked him forwards so fast that he almost cracked his skull against mine and glared directly into his silver eyes.  "Listen here," I snarled, giving him another angry tug, "I don't know how Nanu does things but I'm gonna make _one_ thing clear to you _right_ now - _I ain't Nanu_ , and _you_ ain't the only one who knows how we do in the _streets_."

His eyes were wide but there was a toothy smile creeping up his previously stunned expression.

"Yeah, tha's right big boy, I'm just another punkass _thug_ like you!  Except I ain't about that life anymore, I'm tryin'a do somethin' _legit_ with myself.  So if you wanna be my enemy, you can go ahead an' start diggin' that hole _right_ now - _or_ , you can gimme back my damn ball and save ya'self from the knee I'm about to plant in _your_ balls!"

Guzma wore a full-fledged smile now, and slowly held my Luxury Ball out to me.  I snatched it back as quickly as I could and shoved him away, more concerned with making sure Scorch was still inside than with any retaliation the gang leader might bring down on me.

"...yoooo, I _knew_ there was somethin' I liked about you, girlie!"

"Don't get too attached," I growled, glaring back up at him.  "And call me 'girlie' one more time, so help me-"

"Oh, ya' want me ta call ya' 'bitch' instead?"

I really was about to slap the spit out of his mouth, but one of the two grunts at the barricade had apparently been watching the entire thing and called over to us - "Yo Boss!  Everything a'ight?"

Guzma dismissed the grunts with a wave, calling back, "We good; Boss just messin' with the new cop!"  Then, as he looked down at me, "What kinda street rat turns around and becomes a _cop_ , anyway?"

"The kind who needs a place to _live_.  Speaking of which."  I pointed to the house directly to our left.  "Let's get _to_ that, shall we?"

 


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth is stranger than fiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -warning: there's a borderline dubcon seduction attempt towards the end, in case you're sensitive to that!-

It had started to pour just as I was leaving the city walls, and even though it was a short walk I was still soaking wet by the time I got back into the police station.  Nanu didn't bother looking up from the newspaper he was reading on the couch, just asked, "How'd it go?"

I was less than thrilled by this point and snorted my annoyance as I let Scorch out of his ball to go play with the Meowth pride.  "Well, first off - your boy Guzma is an _asshole_."

Nanu still wasn't looking up, but oh was he ever smiling.

"If that shit-for-brains dust-mop hadn't left me the hell alone when he did, he was going to catch the hard edge of my fist across his smug face!"

The old man almost looked like he wanted to laugh somewhere beneath his soul-crushed demeanor.

"But we _finally_ found a decent place, if you can call any of those places decent.  I was nice and picked the one house with the least graffiti and other crap done to it."

"Glad to hear you're making friends with the neighbors."

I glared at him, albeit in more of a joking manner.  "You did that on purpose, didn't you.  Leaving me alone with that - _jackass_."

"Guzma can be a hard pill to swallow."  He finally folded the newspaper and set it aside, then leaned forwards to look up at me.  "You'll get used to him.  Knowing you, you might even make friends."

My eyebrow couldn't have raised any farther if it wanted to.  "Knowing me?  What’s that-"

He gestured towards the computer in front of him.  "Did you think I wouldn't do my homework?"

I tensed a bit, my eyes locked with his; there were no truly ugly skeletons in my closet that I needed to worry about him knowing, but-

"Left home at 15, in and out of various gangs, on and off the streets, a rap sheet spreading from region to region..."  Nanu kept his eyes on me for another few seconds before that creepy half-smile returned to his face and he leaned back in the couch.  "You're not the type anyone would normally consider for police work.  But, being this is Po Town - you're probably the type I need."

Sitting on the ground is likely one of those habits that I picked up during all my years living on the streets and in overly-crowded squat houses; even though there was a perfectly good chair a few steps away, I lowered myself down to the carpet and sat there with my legs stretched and my ankles crossed, still soaking wet, and still staring at my very, very peculiar superior.

"I'm not asking you to infiltrate their ranks or squeeze information out of them.  Guzma wouldn't fall for that anyway."  His eyes closed again.  "But if you hear anything worth while, maybe something that we can stop before they get themselves into more trouble... that's the best I can ask for."

I tilted my head at him, idly petting one of the Meowth that had curled up next to me.  "Aren't you - I mean, they're a _gang_ , don't you want to take them down?"

Nanu sighed through his nose and opened one eye.  "No.  Team Skull is actually a best case scenario."

" _How?!_ "

Both eyes opened now, he leaned forwards again.  "There's always going to be a bad guy.  Taking them down would leave a vacuum of power, room for somebody far worse to come in.  Team Skull is just a bunch of angry kids.  Most of those grunts are teenagers who felt like failures and turned to Team Skull to try and regain some sense of power."

"And you don't think Guzma is taking advantage of them?"

Nanu's expression changed very subtly, so much so that most people would have missed it; suddenly he looked less like a cranky old man and more like a concerned uncle.  "He's no different from the rest of them.  He's not the best role model, but he's the only person the majority of them look up to - mostly because he's the only one that made them feel worth a damn."  His fingers rubbed the chin of one of the Meowth as it curled up on his lap.  "...and he and I both share the habit of taking in strays.  Most of those kids are run-aways.  Shady House is to them what the police station is to the Meowth: a warm, dry place to sleep where they know they'll be fed and looked after."  The smirk crept back up his face.  "Be it by a thug like him, or a wretch like me."

I was beginning to think that Nanu's cold exterior was really just a front for an old man with a closet full of skeletons and concern about the well-being of the kids next door.  But damned if I was going to voice that thought.

"You really should go change out of those wet clothes."  One eye open again, giving me that creepy half-smile.  "You can wear whatever you want, I'm not much for dress codes.  Just keep the uniform shirt on when you're on duty."

Halfway towards the bathroom, I smiled over my shoulder at him.  "Yeah, I kinda figured by your sandals that it was a fairly casual-dress job."

It was a goal in the back of my mind to be able to get a rise out of him past that deadpan stare or that sneering smile, but clearly today was not the day it would happen.  I locked myself in the bathroom and proceeded to peel off my wet clothes, hanging them all over the shower curtain rod to dry (except for my underwear of course - a girl has to keep some things private.)

Typical of feline behavior, Scorch had apparently stationed himself outside the bathroom and was loudly crying to be let in and sticking his paws underneath the door.  "Knock it off, bud," I grumbled towards him, pulling up my dry pair of camouflage cargo shorts.   A pitiful meow followed.

"I'll be out in _two minutes_ , buddy!"

There was a noise outside the door and then Nanu's voice, "I got him.  I have a present for him anyway."

Normally I wouldn't trust anyone to handle my baby, but the Crazy Meowth Man probably had more experience with feline Pokémon than I did.  With the distractions gone I was finally able to finish changing into dry clothes and run a brush through my hair again, though looking at my reflection in the mirror after spending time amongst Team Skull suddenly made me long for the punky multi-colored hairstyle I'd worn in previous times.  Maybe the old man wouldn't mind a few streaks of color..?

"That's more like it."

He was back on the couch with Scorch when I came out of the bathroom, and nodded his head at my outfit: the camo shorts and a black utility belt, a black camisole top that cut short enough to show just a little bit of my belly, black lace-up jungle boots, and my police-issued uniform shirt.  (Open, of course.)

"Sure this is ok?  Even with the..?"  I tugged on the bottom of my cami to indicate where my skin was visible.

Nanu dismissed it with a wave.  "Whatever makes you comfortable.  People walk around Alola wearing far less."

The tiny mew drew my attention away from him and over to Scorch, who was sitting on his hind legs and batting at something near his chin.  "What's that you got, bud?"  As I came closer I could see a dark red collar now affixed to his neck, and hanging off it was a small tag bearing the same police emblem on the sleeves of mine and Nanu's uniform shirts.

"I had gotten that for the first Meowth I took in," Nanu explained, giving the Litten's head a gentle scratch.  "But then one became two, which became four, and I just didn't want to get collars for all of them."

"Awww!" I cooed, sweeping Scorch up off the couch and into my arms.  "Look how handsome you are with your new little collar!  Say thank you to Uncle Nanu!"

The old man grinned up at us, more genuinely than I'd seen him do yet.  "I figured if he's going to be your partner, he should look the part.”  He continued watching me fuss over Scorch for another minute, then added, "Of course, once he's getting ready to evolve then you'll have to take that off him.  Littens develop a flame collar when they turn into Torracats."

Now seemed like a better time than any to bring up the fact that I actually have next to no experience training Pokémon, and that I've only ever had them as companions.  But before I could speak the old man continued:

"That is, when you decide to become a Pokémon trainer."

I exhaled a quick and louder-than-expected sigh of relief.  "So you know about that, too."

"Yes.  And I'm very impressed that you made it this far on your own without being a trainer."

Shrugging, I sat down on the couch alongside him and placed Scorch in my lap.  "I just... never had the time to learn."  I'd spare him the story of my childhood, of having to care for myself and all my siblings while mom worked two jobs, and of how I mainly left home because mom just couldn't afford to clothe and feed all of us anymore.

Chances are I wouldn't have to explain anyway; something told me he already knew.

"Well.  If and when you want to learn, just ask."  He gave Scorch another gentle pat on the head.  "I have a feeling that this one would make you proud."

The big Persian had wandered over to us while all this was happening, her eyes fixated on Scorch.  Very carefully she leaned her head towards my lap and started to groom him, much to my Litten's clear dismay; after a few seconds of loudly mewed protest, she picked Scorch up in her mouth by the scruff of his neck and carried him over to one of the cat beds, then laid down and continued her grooming session.

"Looks like he's been accepted into the pride."

I was trying not to laugh at Scorch's pathetic attempts to scramble away from the much larger feline.  "She do that to all the other cats?"

"Every last one. It's a right of passage here."  Nanu stood, leaning backwards a bit to stretch before looking down to me.  "You hungry?"

There really wasn't a nice way for me to say "As long as you're not cooking", but-

"There's a good place in town.  Sushi.  It's on me if you're interested."

I nodded and stood alongside him, smiling.  "Sure - food always tastes better when it's free!"

He gave me that creepy smile and nodded his head once, turning towards the door.  "Tastes better when it's not my cooking, too.  Come on."

  
  


Nanu wasn't a man of many words, but the things that he did say spoke volumes about his character - from the sound of it he just wanted to be a retired old man living by himself with his pride of cats.  Trying to keep Team Skull out of serious trouble seemed to be the only reason he stayed where he was, even though he knew there wasn't much he could do aside from bring them in out of the rain.  And while he spoke dryly of their leader, Guzma, there was also some kind of concern behind his tone - like the uncle who kept trying to steer their wayward nephew in the right direction, only to watch him inevitably veer off course again.

I opened up a little more about my own past as we ate, just to clarify whatever he'd already managed to learn about me.  There isn't much that I'm ashamed of when it comes to my life after leaving home; anything criminal that I did, either by myself or within the few gangs I was briefly part of, was all a matter of survival.  Nanu seemed to understand and appreciate all of it - peculiar for a police officer, but maybe not so much for one who'd spent so much time supervising a gang of kids just like me.  

"Do you stay in touch with your family?" he asked between sips of his tea, regarding me with distant interest.

I shrugged, pushing some rice around the plate with my chopsticks.  "I try to... I send postcards now and then... just really - never had any news that I could call home with, yanno?"  A sad laugh escaped me.  "Not like I was going to keep mom updated on whose pocket I picked or how many days I went without eating, which gang I'd taken up with, who I'd gotten into a fight with..."  Maybe I was a little more ashamed of things than I thought.

"I'm sure she just wants to know that you're all right."  He locked eyes with me and for once gave me a genuine smile.  "Maybe now you've done something you can be proud enough of to tell her."

I looked down to the emblem on the sleeve of my uniform shirt and nodded a few times, realizing that I hadn't actually thought of that.  "...you're right."

A noise pulled both of our attention away; it was Nanu's phone on the table, skittering a bit as it vibrated an alert.  The old man picked it up and looked at it for a second, then shook his head.  "It's for you."

"Huh?"  Taking the phone from his hand, I peered at the screen and saw a text in all caps: TELL PRINCESS HER PALACE IS READY.  "Guzma?”

"Of course."

"Hmm."  I couldn't help but smirk, pulling out my own phone and copying his number into it.  Then I typed a simple reply to come from my number: PRINCESS HERE, SEND ME SOME PICTURES MANSERVANT.

Nanu raised an eyebrow at me as I handed his phone back.  "What did you say?"

"I told him to send pictures."

He smirked at me and shook his head, going back to the last few bites of his food.  "Be careful."

"Of what?"

"Of-"

My phone beeped the text alert and I picked it back up, both of us silent as I looked at the message - until I started laughing loudly.  "Oh, _God_."

"What?"

The first photo Guzma sent was a rather suggestive selfie of him sticking his tongue out between two of his fingers; the universal symbol of cunnilingus.  (For the record, the fact that he looked to have a long tongue did _not_ go unnoticed.) The second photo showed the inside of one of the rooms, now cleaned up and with the graffiti painted over - but of course, his hand flipping the middle finger was just off to the side of the photo.  "...well, at least he didn't send a dick pic."  

I handed the phone to Nanu, and the old man just grimaced at the pictures and muttered “Tapus preserve” while handing it back.  "Don’t speak too soon," he added, and took the last sip of his tea.  "I wouldn't put it past him."

"Don't worry," I smiled, finishing off the last bite of my food.  "This ain't my first rodeo."

  
  


Guzma was actually waiting for us when we got back to the police station, leaning against the wall and talking to the one Grunt who always hung around outside.  "Well, look what the Meowth dragged in!  Think that's the first time ya ever locked the door, old man."

Nanu didn't bother to look up at him as he unlocked the station door, simply replying, "Just keeping the cats safe."

"Tch - as if any of us are gonna run off with a Meowth?"  Guzma's attention turned towards me and he seemed to posture a bit, grinning as he folded his arms.  "Ya get the pics I sent?"

I matched his grin and nodded.  "I did, they looked good!"  Then, leaning in closer to him, I lowered my tone and added, " _Both_ of them."

His eyebrows raised and his smile grew wider.  "Oh, I got _plenty_ more where those came from!"

"Keep them to yourself!" Nanu called in response, and looked up as the dust-mop and I came through the door.  "Money's on the table, Guzma.  First month’s rent and the work."

He snatched it up eagerly, flipping through a few bills before nodding and stuffing it into his pocket.  "Always happy to be of service - for the right price!"  His eyes darted to me with a smirk.  " _Or for free_ , dependin' on the service."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, and took a chance by giving him a shove as I walked past to collect my things from the bathroom.  "Nanu, what time do you want me back tonight?"

"I'm going to send you off with a book, take tonight to read through and study."

The word ' _study_ ' made me cringe, but - surely the old man wasn't going to test me.

"Ya want me to escort her to her new palatial estate?"  Guzma shot me a sly look as he asked, but I wasn't sure if it was one I should be worried about or if it was a welcomed challenge.

Nanu came back to us with a book that made me want to choke just looking at it - college text books paled in comparison to its size.  "So long as you don't chase her off the Island."

He cackled and snatched the book from Nanu before I even had a chance to reach for it, frowning at its cover.  "Tch - dusty old Alolan history.  The heck she need this for?”

“Because most of our laws and customs are rooted in old Alolan history.”  Swiftly taking the book back, he pressed it into my hands and gave the gangster a stern glare.  “Whether or _not_ some of us like it.”

Guzma didn’t respond, but the look on his face told me that this was a point of contention between them.  “Yeah, well.”  His eyes flashed back to me.  “Ready to go To- sorry, _Officer_ Toots?”

“ _CALLI-_ “

I cut Nanu off with a sharp, “ _Boss._ ”  Once his eyes were on me I held his gaze and nodded once, giving him a knowing smile.  “I can hold my own - after all, I’ve been called far worse by _far_ more dangerous.”

Watching the expression on Guzma’s face fall as his pride took a hit gave me a quiet sort of joy, and I was fairly certain the old man felt it too; at the very least it got that sarcastic half-grin out of him and a shrug.  “Heh.  All right then - I’ll leave you to it.”

“Thank you.  Guzma-“  I turned back to the white-haired mess and gestured towards the door.  “Lead the way.”

  
  


“...the hell was _that_ s’pposed to mean.”

He’d been silent towards me most of the walk to Po Town, scowling and barking annoyed orders at his grunts.  Now Guzma was leaning against the wall next to the closed door of my new living quarters, his arms folded and brow furrowed as he watched me unpack my bag.

“What was _what_ supposed to mean?”  I knew exactly what he meant, but-

“That ‘far more dangerous’ quip - ya tryin’a sound tough?”

Scoffing, I looked back over my shoulder at him; he already knew what I was made of so there was no sense in biting my tongue anymore.  “I ain’t gotta _try_.”

“Listen, girlie-“

My mistake was keeping my back to him, and admittedly being a bit too cocky in a situation where I could easily have gotten hurt.  Before I knew what was happening Guzma had grabbed a fist-full of my hair and yanked me backwards, forcing the back of my head against his chest.  

“-I dunno exactly where you _came_ from, but I’m’a make this crystal clear - you’re in _Alola_ now.  Team Skull?  We _run_ this, an I run _them_.  They piss me off, they get a beat down.  You piss me off, _you_ get a beat down.  Un’erstand me, _Officer?_ ”

He didn’t wait for a reply, just wrenched my hair one more time before shoving me away.  The pain in my scalp was enough to send me clawing out his eyes with my fingernails, but - uniform.  Badge.  Self-restraint.  _....I can handle this._  

“Now are we gonna have a problem, or are you gonna start showin’ ya boy some respect?”

Not about to let the overgrown punk bully me in my own home, I stood as tall as I could and turned to stare him down.  “I’ll show _you_ some damn respect when you _earn_ it from me.”

Guzma cackled angrily and then shrugged, reaching into his pocket.  “I gotta earn it?  Fine.”  Producing an Ultra Ball, he triggered the release on it and gestured as a Masquerain appeared from the stream of light in front of me.  “Get that Litten of yours out an’ battle me - lesse who deserves the respect!”

The large insect-type hovered in the air in front of me, the eye-like patterns of its accessory wings seeming to stare straight into my soul and at the truth.  “Guzma - I’m not battling you.”

He almost looked offended, snarling back, “Don’t pull that uppity shit - you ain’t too good to battle me _or_ anyone else!”

“Guzma it’s _not_ like that-“

“Then put ya goddamn money where ya mouth is and let’s _go!_ ”

Sighing, I took a few tentative steps forwards and gently reached out to the Masquerain.  It seemed more curious than anything, zipping up and down to inspect my outstretched hand, then gave my fingers a playful nuzzle.  Signs of a well-trained Pokémon. “...look, I _can't_ battle you.”

“The hell you mean you can’t-“

“I’m _not_ a Pokémon trainer!”

The pit of my stomach dropped a bit at my admission; it wasn’t that I was ashamed at all, but rather the feeling of being left in such a vulnerable position.  I watched as Guzma’s expression went from anger to confusion, and then it changed to an almost amused silence.

“...Masquerain - come on back.”

A bright light enveloped the big bug and it quickly returned back to the ball in Guzma’s hand, which he returned to his pocket before folding his arms and grinning at me.  “...so you ain’t even a trainer, huh.”

“No, I’m not.”

He was moving towards me, but I kept my eyes occupied on the far wall.

“Ain’t no one around here our age that ain’t a trainer.  S’customary here, every kid takes their Pokémon and goes on their Island Challenge when they hit 10 or 11.  Didn’t know things was different where you from.”

“Yeah, well.”  It wasn’t so much that things were different back home; they were just different for _me._   “I found Scorch when I first got here; he’s just my companion.”

“...would explain why ya only keep the one ball on ya.”  Guzma cocked his head and grinned.  “Not that I been checkin ya for others to steal or nothin’!”

Snorting, I turned my back to him again to continue unpacking what was left of my belongings.  “Told you - I came from the streets.  I don’t have anything worth stealing.”

“Oh, I betch’ya got _plenty_ worth stealing.”

His voice had suddenly gotten low, and then there was one of his large hands cupped around my stomach roughly pulling me back against his body.  I drew a sharp breath but steadied myself, not willing to let panic get the best of me; his warm breath was against my ear now, but he wasn’t actually hurting me.  Just being creepy. 

...and potentially taking advantage of the fact that I was effectually unarmed.

“Whachya say we get ta’ know each other better, huh?”  His hand snaked its way across my bare midsection and up underneath my top, stopping just shy of my chest.  “Make havin’ ya around a lot more fun...”

“... you treat all the new girls in town this way?”

“Nah...”  His lips touched my neck and I shuddered, reaching back to dig my nails into his arm in a warning.  “... jus’ the ones who seem to think they can disrespect me!”

In one instant the situation went from gross to threatening - he leaned back and in the process lifted my feet off the floor, then spun and tossed me down onto the old couch against the opposing wall.  Before I could move he was looming over me, his knees planted firmly on either side of my legs and one hand pinning my upper body to the cushions.

I wasn’t about to let him try and overtake me, but from that position the only thing I could do was dig my nails into his jaw and then try to headbutt him when he used both hands to pin my wrists down - neither maneuver succeeded.  “Damn, you _are_ tough!” he cackled, clearly gloating over having gotten the upper hand.  “Now whachya wanna do, Officer - you wanna make nice, or ya wanna _play dirty?_ ”

I gambled everything I had on chance - “I would _love_ to play dirty with you, any second of any day.”  (It wasn’t even a lie at this point - up close he *was* pretty damn good looking, shitty demeanor be damned.)  “But I ain’t tryin’a fuck my way into your good graces right now.”

“Nobody said anythin’ ‘bout good graces.”  His hand slowly moved, still managing to keep my lower arm pinned while his fingertips brushed my bare stomach.  “Jus’ some good dick.”

Was this _actually_ turning me on?  I cursed myself and gnashed my teeth towards his hand in a worthlessly threatening display.  “And what’s your gang gonna think if they find out you fucked a _cop_ , huh?  They’re gonna think you’re soft as shit!”

That seemed to give him pause. 

“And don’t think I ain’t gonna tell every last one of them what a good lay their boss was, an how I _used my handcuffs_ to-“

“ _A'ight_ a’ight, fuck.”  He muttered something angrily under his breath and backed off me, glaring daggers as he got to his feet.  “...you’re a crafty little bitch, yanno that?”

I stood a few feet away, smiling as charmingly as I could muster.  “Told ya - street kid.  I know how this shit works.”

“Yeah, well-!”  He huffed angrily and pointed a finger at me.  “Don’t fuckin’ think your smart ass bullshit is gonna save ya if you cross me - I’ll destroy you so fast!”

“The only fuckin’ thing ya gonna _destroy_ is this pussy, _when and if_ I fuckin tell ya I feel like it!”  _...did that just leave my mouth?  Fuck, it did.  Save face, save face_ \- “Now fuck on off outta here, let me get my shit together and we can continue this stand-off bullshit tomorrow!”

Guzma could have burned a hole through me with his eyes, but there was that unhinged grin tugging up one corner of his mouth that had me mildly concerned.  Finally he shrugged and turned his back to me, snarking, “Suit ya’self, girlie!”  Then, over his shoulder as he reached the door, “But don’t expect me ta ever do anythin’ ‘cept _play dirty._ ”

The door closed behind him and I exhaled sharply, collapsing back into the couch he’d thrown me to minutes before.  Fear had barely even played a part in that exchange, but the adrenaline - let alone the god forsaken hormone rush... three weeks from now that might have played out far, far differently.  

Until then I’d just have to wonder how good that dick really was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -foreshadowing sexytimes-
> 
> Ch. 4 is already underway, uhhhhh... yeah I dunno what else to put here. Hopefully I'll have something up for y'all in a week or two. Feel free to leave me comments, crits, suggestions, etc - Johnny 5 needs input, innnpuuuttttt.


	4. Momentum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calliandra’s first battle lesson, as well as her first official assignment - which could well be her last. (Also, Plumeria is fierce as always.)

Nanu didn’t seem too impressed when I came strolling into the police station at half past nine, although I may have just mistaken his usual expression for something condescending.“Morning, Bossman!”

His eyes barely left the newspaper.“Cat’s out of the bag about you, trainee.”

Ironically I had been triggering Scorch’s release as he spoke, and the Litten immediately took roost on the station counter.“About what?”

“You not being a trainer.”

Guzma.  Fucking dust-mop had a big mouth.“Yeah, well.”I shrugged and slid past Nanu into the kitchen, spotting a cup of coffee in a brand new Pikachu mug that I could only assume he’d bought - and prepared - for me.“Jackass tried to battle me last night, I couldn’t exactly lie my way out of that one.”

Nanu folded the paper and set it down as I sat on the couch opposite of him.“Did you look at the book I gave you?”

Nodding, I sipped my coffee.“I did.Can’t say I got it all memorized, but I went through it. 

“No need to memorize it, it’s more of an introduction.We do things a little differently here on the islands than you’re probably used to.”

A scoff left my mouth, despite my desire to keep it inside my head.“Yeah, I’ll say - Island Gods, Island Kings-“

“Kahunas.”

“Sorry, Island  _Kahunas_ \- Island Challenges, trials, Z Rings, you guys basically have your own isolated culture here.” 

The old man nodded his head.“Alola is a very traditional place.Some people don’t care much for it, like Team Skull.I could personally take it or leave it.But the Tapu don’t like it when things are changed without their consent, so we just continue on as we have.”

The Tapu, their Island deities, had definitely caught my attention.“Have you ever seen the Tapu?Like - you, yourself?”

Nanu laughed, quietly at first, and then got louder and almost bitter sounding.“More times than I ever wanted to.Who knows - maybe you will too!Maybe you could even become Kahuna!”

I winced at the idea, nearly spitting my coffee.“ _No_ thank you, I have enough trouble caring for myself - forget about an entire Island of people!”

“Preaching to the choir, trainee.”The smirk of laughter still painted his face, crimson eyes lit like a forest fire.“Well, the Tapu themselves are Pokémon, and they live for a good battle - so we’re going to have to get you started on becoming a trainer.”

This time I did spit my coffee, thankfully catching myself before any of the Meowth got a caffeinated shower.“ _Excuse_ me?”

“Can’t have you coming face to face with a God and not being able to rise to the challenge, after all.” 

“Are you telling me that I  _will_ have to face one of them, or-“ 

“No, just that you might.It’s not something you want to be ill prepared for either way.” 

I must have had an expression of horror on my face that was enough to amuse Nanu, because he actually broke out a full smile before admitting, “I’m only teasing, the chances of a Tapu challenging you are slim to none.But if you’re going to be a police officer, you need to have at least one well-trained partner.” The old man got to his feet, pocketing two standard Pokeballs as he did.“Come on, let’s head to the meadow.”

“Right  _now_ _?_ ”

“No time like the present.”He flashed me one of his condescending smirks and shrugged, turning towards the door.“...unless you want to let Guzma keep trash-talking you.”

I’ve never slammed back a cup of coffee so fast.“Scorch, let’s go bud!” 

 

If there’s one thing in life that’s notoriously hard to do, it’s getting a cat to listen to you.Scorch was content to do as he was told so long as it suited him, but as soon as it came to a battle - giving commands became like pulling teeth.

“Come  _on_ , bud!”I sighed in aggravation as our potentially-opposing Cutiefly fluttered off and crouched down, putting one finger to Scorch’s nose.“We gotta work as a team here, little man.I’ve  _seen_ you kick ass before.What’s the deal?” 

Scorch mewed and nipped my finger, then playfully rubbed against my legs.

“Calliandra, let’s try something else.”Nanu had been surprisingly patient with our false start, and pulled one of the two Pokeballs from his pocket.“Maybe he’s just battle-shy against the wild ones, let’s see if a friend can’t help him out.” 

One of the several Meowth from the station appeared in the beam of light, and it yawned lazily as it stretched across our playing field.Scorch mewled and tried to scamper over to play, but recoiled and ran back to my feet when the other cat let out a small hiss and swiped at the air around it.

“There, maybe he’s gotten the idea.Try giving him a command now.”

Taking a deep breath, I looked down at Scorch and made eye contact with him.“All right bud, this is the real deal now - go on and Scratch him!”

Scorch growled quietly and darted across the space, landing a paw-full of claws across the Meowth’s cheek before leaping back to my side. 

“Good job, trainee.”Nanu gestured towards us.“Meowth, Bite.”

The opposing ball of grey fur came charging towards us, and before Scorch could dodge it lodged its fangs into his ear.With a quick roll Scorch broke free, and the Meowth ran back to Nanu’s side.

“That’s my bud - let’s light him up, use Ember!” 

With a tiny mewl, Scorch coughed a decently sized fireball towards Nanu’s Pokémon - but it wasn’t quite fast enough and the Meowth darted out of the way. 

“Meowth - Scratch.”

Again the gray cat came bounding forth, but now Scorch was angry and leapt straight up with a hiss, causing the Meowth to miss him completely.“C’mon bud, let’s try it again - Ember!” 

The cat was barely back by Nanu’s feet when the fireball hit it from behind, sending it into a tiny tumbling frenzy as it tried to mitigate the burn marks to its coat.Nanu kept the same cool face and just gestured towards us again.“Bite.”

Scorch tried to dodge but now the Meowth was on to him, both of them leaping up at the same time and making contact mid-air.By the time Scorch hit the ground again he looked like he was ready to give in, staring up at me pitifully.“C’mon buddy, I know you can take this guy down!Use Ember, one more time - make it a big one!”

His hair started to stand on end and he reared up, growling in a manner I’d never heard before.“Hey, what-“

As soon as his paws touched back down a fiery blast shot out, surprising me enough that I yelped and stepped back.It appeared to catch Nanu and his Meowth completely off-guard as well, and once the dust and smoke had cleared Nanu was scratching the back of his neck with the dazed cat clinging pitifully to his shirt collar.

“Well.Looks like that’s your first win - congratulations Calliandra.”

Scorch, still looking worn but incredibly proud of himself, did a little victory trot before butting his head into my shins and mewing happily.I was still in shock, looking down at him to make sure he was in one piece.“Little man, what the  _heck_ was that?!”

“That was Heat Wave.”Nanu came to our side, cradling the Meowth in one hand as he crouched to scoop Scorch up in the other.“It would appear your Litten has some pedigree.” 

“Heat Wave?”Gently taking Scorch from him, I wracked my brain as the two cats nuzzled one another in a gesture of sportsmanship.“... I don’t remember reading that a Litten can-“

“It’s not a move they learn on their own, it’s one they’re either born with, or that they’re taught.”He gently scratched the Litten’s head, smirking a bit.“Given how young you found this one, chances are he was born with it.”

“How about that, bud?”Grinning like the proud momma I am, I held Scorch up and then showered him in kisses (much to his dismay).“My little man’s a special guy!Yes he is!Momma’s special little fire-kitty!”

“All right trainee, no need to embarrass your partner after his big win.Let’s take these two to the Pokecenter down the road.” 

I nodded as Scorch hopped down to the ground, having had enough of my overbearing affections.“Good idea, I can grab some more coffee while we’re there too.”

 

Naturally it would be my luck that we’d run into two of Guzma’s grunts just inside the Pokecenter, and they both struck a pose the minute they recognized me.

“Hey girl, ain’t you the new cop?”The first one threw a few gestures around, approaching us.“Heard big Guzma gave you the drop!”

The second boy followed suit, continuing the rhymes.“Movin’ into town like you’re big stuff - now we all know that ya ain’t so tough!”

“Better learn quick that this ain’t ya’ place, before someone goes to mess up ya’ face!”

“Don’t let us catch you out on the street now, cuz Skull is gonna come and give ya’ the beat down!”

I couldn’t roll my eyes any farther back into my head if I tried, and glanced to Nanu.“Is this-“

“Normal.Yes.”He turned his tired red eyes on the two grunts and gestured once with his hand.“Don’t you boys have something better to do than loitering?”

“Hey!”The first grunt postured again.“Watch it old man, we ain’t come to play-“

“-we’re hanging out here just to pass the day!”

“Boss is real mad so we came to chill-“

“-cuz we ain’t tryin‘a get ourselves killed!”

Ok, the fact that they pulled that off in tandem was a little more impressive.“Killed?The hell’d you guys do to piss him off so bad?”

The two looked at each other, then to Nanu, then back to me.“Shoot, we forgot you’re new in town - when Boss gets mad he don’t mess around.”

“He gets pissed off and things get trashed - gotta run off to keep from bein’ thrashed!” 

Nanu spoke as if to translate the rhymes, “Guzma’s got a bit of an anger issue.” 

“Yeah, I gathered as much.”I shrugged and headed towards the cafe counter while Nanu brought our cats to the nurse, my mind set on the biggest cup of Komala coffee they had.One of the perks of having a job, actually being able to afford-

“Hmph.So is this the new girl?”

Not trying to have a confrontation before my second cup of coffee, I did my best to ignore the new voice - and the two grunts making a ruckus.

“Yeah big sis, that’s the one!”

“Comin’ to keep us from havin’ our fun!”

“Yeah?I heard she can’t even battle.”

Nanu’s interrupted the three of them as I turned around, coffee in hand and ready to toss the complimentary Pokebeans I received at them, “You heard wrong.Calliandra is just starting to learn.I expect you’ll be polite to her, Plumeria.”

“...of course, Uncle.”

She was stunning.Her dyed pink and yellow hair, her crop top paired with baggy pants, the Team Skull tattoo across her toned midriff, and my God the makeup - positively stunning....the hell was she doing running with these clowns?

“Officer.”She took a few steps towards me and nodded once.“I’m Plumeria.Team Skull admin.”

I smiled in return, extending a hand to her.“Nice to meet you, I’m Calliandra.”

Golden eyes regarded my hand for a second before she shook it, as though she weren’t sure we should be civil.“I understand you’re staying in Po Town with us.”

“That I am.”

“Hmm.”Her eyes narrowed for a second and she shrugged, then turned to walk back to the grunts. 

“Don’t let her get to you,” Nanu murmured, handing a tired Scorch back to me as I watched after them.“She may come off dry, but she looks after those kids like they’re her own family.”

“...so I shouldn’t feel like she just treated me like an intruder?”

“No, you should, because you are.”Smirking, he held his Meowth out to me next.“I’m grabbing a coffee, sit down and relax for a bit.”

I gingerly placed both cats on the floor with some Pokebeans and perched on a chair, tuning my ears into the conversation going on across the room between the Skull Admin and the two grunts.

“-but Sis, Mister Guzma-“ 

“I know he’s mad, but we have work to do.”

“I don’t wanna get a beat down, yo!”

“He’ll get over it.”

“Nah sis, we ain’t goin back there until Boss calms down!”

“Do you two numbskulls want him to get even angrier?If he hears you were slacking off instead of-“

“Yo, you’d rat us out, big sis?!”

“You both have kitchen duty today, you should be at Shady House with the Tapu Cocoa on tap to calm him down.”

_ Tapu Cocoa? _ I snickered internally and took a sip of my coffee. _...oh._ _ Hello pot, meet kettle._

“We could send Calliandra over to speak with him.”

Twice today I almost spit my coffee out onto the cats, turning to gape at Nanu.

“ _Yo_ old man, you trying to get her killed?!”

“Nonsense, my officer can hold her own.”

Plumeria looked to take his offer under consideration, her eyes turning to me before she shrugged.“If it means these two get back to work.It’s her funeral.”

He really expected me to go confront an enraged gang boss, on his own turf, with all of one Pokemon battle under my belt and an already-napping Litten for a partner.Awesome. 

“Well, Calliandra.”The old man put a hand on my shoulder and grinned at me, ignoring the fact that I was trying to bore a hole through him with my eyes.“You’ve got your first assignment.Go get Guzma to cool off.”

“Thanks,” I grumbled, pulling out Scorch’s Pokeball to return him to it.This was going to be an interesting morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BETCH’A THOUGHT I ABANDONED THIS, HUH? When the muses speak, I listen - and they’ve been speaking a lot lately. I’ll try to update weekly while the muses stay with me! Feel free to add some critique, I can’t improve without it! 
> 
> Apologies for any formatting errors, I’ll fix those once I get to a PC.
> 
> (Also, my chapter titles are coming from song names; for this one, look up “Momentum” by VNV Nation)


	5. True Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to deal with Guzma, the only way Calli really knows how.

The mansion, or “Shady House” as they called it, was an absolute disaster.I should have expected as much, seeing the shape that the rest of the town was in, but I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell they tore a chandelier off the ceiling and dropped it onto the staircase below without someone dying.The walls were full of graffiti and holes from objects or flying fists, and anything that could be broken and tossed into piles absolutely was.

“Follow me,” Plumeria commanded, handing me a cardboard cup from the Pokecenter.“And give him this.”

“What is it?” I asked, trying hard to watch my step through the debris and empty bottles littering the convoluted path she was leading me on.

“Tapu Cocoa.It’s his favorite.I went to the Pokecenter to get him some but since you’re here...”She smiled back at me.“You get to deal with the idiot.”

We actually had to go back outside to get to his room, across a small walkway along the roof fashioned out of wooden planks.One of the female grunts from the day before was sitting out there painting her nails, and she balked when she saw us.“Officer you’re not going to see the Boss, are you?!”

“Apparently!” I called back, stepping carefully through a broken window to get back inside.

“Ohhhh, be super careful!”

All these kids were terrified of Guzma, and in my mind I made it a point to literally murder him if I found out he laid a hand on any of them.

The lone grunt guarding the door to Guzma’s room didn’t look any less terrified, and flinched when we all heard something crash from behind it.“Yo - you ain’t going-“

Plumeria put her hands on her hips.“The Officer is going to talk to him.”

“Sis, Boss said not to-“

“ _ I’m _ saying she’s going in.”

“But-“

She folded her arms and tapped one foot, resulting in the grunt swallowing hard and stepping aside.“Yes ma’am.Jus - don’t say I didn’t warn ya, yo.”

A nod and the team admin looked at me, murmuring, “Do yourself a favor, don’t mention his family or anything about the Island Challenges.”

“Why-“

“Just don’t.Trust me.” 

I took a deep breath and shrugged, giving each of them a doomed smile before heading towards the door.

The first thing to greet me when I opened it was a flying bottle, just missing my face by inches and shattering against the wall to my right.“Guzma, what the  _hell-!_ ”

“Yo who the fuck-“He spun in a blind rage and locked his eyes on me, then spat, “Who let  _ you _ in here?!”

“Ya’ fuckin’  Team Admin did, that’s who!”I kicked the door shut behind me, careful not to turn my back to him, then held out the cup of Tapu Cocoa.“Before you beat my ass - peace offering.Cocoa.From Plumeria.”

Guzma stormed over to me and looked as though he might slap it out of my hand; thankfully he just snatched it instead, then skulked over to a big purple throne-like chair and collapsed into it with an angry huff.

There weren’t any other chairs so I made my way over to the large bed instead, sitting on the edge of it and staring at him as he took a swig of his drink.“So what the fuck?”

“What the fuck  _ what _ .”

“We gonna act like you ain’t in here throwing shit around and screaming all morning?”

“Oh, an what, the grunts called the _cops_ on me?”

“No.”My coffee was woefully neglected, and I took my own big swig.“Nanu heard the grunts talking about you being mad, and sent me over here to calm you the fuck down.So - what the fuck?”

He hissed a, “ _Tch_!” through gritted teeth and slammed one fist into the chair’s armrest.“Ain’t none’a your business, Offi- _suh_. ”

“Well the old man  _ made _ it my business, so either you can tell me what’s wrong, or we can pour whatever’s in one of those liquor bottles into our drinks and hang around until you chill the fuck out.”

The idea of hanging out with Guzma wasn’t exactly on the top of my list of things to do, but after last night and the impression he’d left, I certainly was curious.And surprisingly the Boss didn’t seem wholly opposed; after eyeballing me menacingly, he grabbed one of the bottles off his side table and walked it over to me.“Didn’t know ya could drink on the job.”

“Well.”It was whiskey, thank God it was whiskey, and I poured a healthy amount into my lukewarm coffee before handing it back.“Nanu says y’all got some unconventional ways on Ula’Ula.I got some unconventional ways of my own.Cheers.”

His silver eyes stayed on me while I drank, one dark eyebrow raised.Then he shrugged and took a drink right from the bottle, sloppily screwing the cap back on before slinking back over to his throne and dropping down into it.“Next time ya come by uninvited, bring some beer.”

“That can be arranged.”Another long gaze from the gang boss as I nursed my boozy coffee; apparently I was leaving one hell of an impression.Was going to leave even more of one once the alcohol kicked in.“So... this is your room, huh?”It was trashed like the rest of the mansion was, with graffitied walls and bottles both broken and whole strewn about, but a few areas seemed to remain intact.Specifically the shelf with the full liquor bottles on it.

“Yeah, ya like it?”He grinned devilishly and crossed both arms behind his head, leaning back in the chair.“Did my own decorating job.”

“It’s all right.”I shot him a look over my coffee, smirking back.“Could use some more paint, still got two bare walls in here.Back at my haunts, we tagged everything until there was no room left, then tagged over that.”

“Yeah?”The big man reached next to his chair and grabbed something, then tossed it onto the bed next to me.“Lesse what ya’ got then, Officer!”

Spray paint.Bright purple spray paint.Was I really about to do graffiti while drinking in my police uniform?

... _hell_ yeah I was.

I made a bee line for the wall next to the door and shook the can up, popping the top off with my thumb.“Any special requests?”

“Ladies choice.”He propped his head up on one fist, elbow resting on the table next to him as he drank from the bottle again.“None’a that fancy shit they do in Unova.”

Fucked if I had the time for fancy anyway.My signature at the old squat houses had always been the three faces of an Exeggutor, so that’s what I went with - one happy, one smug, one angry, with my initials worked into the faces.Quick, easy, and simple.“Ain’t my best work, but-“

“That ain’t bad.”He stood and slinked over to my side, taking the can in one of his big hands.“But check this shit out.”

I wasn’t familiar with the Pokemon he sprayed next, but I’d seen the design around Po Town; a bug of some type I gathered, with big eyes and a spiked tail.Must have been native to Alola.“What is that?” I mused, tilting my head to the side.

“You ain’t seen one’a these yet?”He smacked the cap back onto the can and then flipped it around in mid air before tossing it to the floor by his throne.“That’s a Wimpod!”

“...what’s a Wimpod?”

Guzma almost looked offended, and “Tch!”’d at me before reaching into his pocket.“Bug type, they run real fast and eat anything you throw at ‘em.But they evolve into the best Pokemon there is-“

The Ultra Ball he pulled out of his pocket activated and a beam of light blinded me for a second.When my vision came back I nearly ran across the room to escape the enormous samurai-looking creature hulking over me, but managed to stay still just to save face.“What the _fuck_ is that?!”

“Tha’s Golisopod!”Grinning like a jackal, Guzma reached up and patted the enormous creature’s hard plated back.“Goli - this is the new cop in town.Show her how we do, yo!”

The big bug reared itself up even higher, lifting its two-clawed arms up into the air like it was going to smash me, and I instinctively hid behind my arms - only to be hit by a harmless jet of water it spat at me from behind its mouth feelers.The embarrassment was dull, but there none the less.“Ah.Bug and Water type.”

“You know it.”

I brushed my now-soaked hair out of my face and muttered, “Dick” under my breath, then held a Pokebean out to the goliath creature.“Hungry, buddy?”

The Golisopod whirred and clicked in what I could only assume was happiness, suddenly turning more puppy-like as it leaned down closer to get to the bean.

“You want it?You gotta spray Guzma before I give it to you!”

It lifted its head up again and looked between me and Guzma, almost as though considering my offer.

“Don’t you dare, big guy!”Guzma gave his Pokemon a playful shove, laughing as it shoved him back and then eagerly took the bean from my offering hand.“Big numbskull probably would too, loves causin’ trouble - just like the big Bossman does, huh?”He threw a few air-punches at the creature, each time being blocked by one huge armor-plated arm.

“Seems like he really likes you,” I mused, watching the two of them goof off.

“Yeah, I had Goli here since I was a kid.”He paused, scratching underneath Golisopod’s chin.“...big guy takes good care’a me, so I take good care’a him.”

Admittedly I was not, and am not, much of a bug person.Caterpies and Beedrils send me running in the other direction.But I couldn’t help but admire this giant isopodian creature and how gentle it seemed, purring affectionately as Guzma petted and fussed over it....watching the Boss be such a softie to his Pokemon wasn’t a bad sight, either.“So you’re a Bug-type trainer?”

“Bet’cha ass I am!”

“Huh.”I moved to the creature’s other side, tentatively reaching out to pet its armored side.“Took you for a Ghost-type guy, honestly.”

He shook his head, stepping back as he pulled the Golisopod’s Pokeball out again.“Nah, Ghost ‘n Dark are cool but bugs always been my thing.Too many people overlook ‘em.”He triggered the ball in his hand and Golisopod disappeared in a flash of light.

“Heh, I know what that feels like.”Shit, my coffee was empty....that meant my booze was gone, too.

“Ain’t nobody overlooking _you_ , Officer.”Guzma grinned darkly and stepped closer, reaching long fingers out to touch my arm.“Could get ya boy in a lotta trouble...”

I shrugged him off despite the alcohol-induced urge not to, and pointed across the room.“Gonna get him in a lotta trouble if he don’t keep his hands to himself and grab me that whiskey bottle!”

A grumble and he stalked back over to his chair to fetch the bottle, taking a big drink before handing it over to me.Then, while I was taking my own drink, “Ain’t gonna keep my hands to myself much longer if you stick around, toots.”

Mercifully I managed to swallow rather than spit everything back onto him, wiping my mouth with one hand as I offered the bottle back.

“So when we gonna stop playing games, huh?”

He advanced and I backed up, hissing a curse as my back found the wall.Both his arms came up and boxed me in, and he stared down at me with narrow silver eyes like some kind of predator.“I can tell ya want this, girlie.Why we wastin’ time, huh?”

“Very presumptuous of you.”Barely got that word out.

“You wouldn’t’a come here if you wasn’t lookin’ for somethin’.”One of those hands touched my chin, tilting my head up.“They’re guardin’ the door out there, ain’t nobody gotta know...”

“Right, just like they didn’t find out I wasn’t a trainer, huh?”

Guzma’s eyes flashed and he grinned, shrugging.“A’ight, got me there.But I can keep a secret when I need to.”

“I told you last night-“Ducking down, I managed to clear his arms and step around to the side of him.“-if anything,  _ I’ll _ be the one talkin’, and your whole team’s gonna know you’re in bed with a cop!”

“Maybe they ain’t gonna care.”He came towards me again, whiskey bottle still in hand.“Maybe I’ll take those handcuffs an’ use em on you instead, keep you here as my little _pet_ for awhile.”

Holy shit, he talked a good game. _No, no no no, no we are not doing this._ “As fun as that sounds-“ _ Calli no, no, bad start! _ “-I’m still on the clock, and you don’t want Nanu bustin’ in here lookin’ for me and finding me in your bed.”

“What if I do?”His expression turned more sinister and he smiled, putting one arm behind my back.“I’d love to give that geezer one more reason to hate my guts.

He leaned close enough to me that I could smell the whiskey on his breath and see the fire in his eyes, and I only got one word out - “ _ Don’t _ ” - right before he kissed me.

And so help me Tapu, I kissed him right back.Angrily.Hungrily.Damn well knowing better and damn sure not caring, because alcohol was one hell of a drug and  _so was he_.

It took me a long minute before I pulled back, trying to catch my breath while hissing, “ We _can’t_ ,  not now!”

“An’ why not?Sure seems like ya’ into it!”

“Because  I _said so_ ,  that’s why!” 

Guzma took a step back and held his hands out as he shrugged his shoulders, eyes closed.“A’ight, fair enough.”

The man respected consent.Sexy.

“But don’ expect me to play nice next time ya’ come up into my room!”

“Oh no, I expect you to play  _ rough _ .”Another in the line of this morning’s bad decisions, but I grabbed him by the hoodie and pulled him in for another quick kiss.“And I expect you to keep your trap  _ shut _ about what just went on!”

“About what, Officer?”He feigned total innocence, taking a step back and shrugging again.“I dunno what you mean, we was just in here having a drink.”

I couldn’t tell whether or not I could trust him, but it didn’t matter much - like Nanu said, the cat was out of the bag.Former punkass with a rap sheet, couldn’t battle for shit, made out with the ganglord next door, no big deal.“...gonna hold you to that, Guzma.”

“An’ I’m gonna hold you to that beer offer when ya’ come back around tonight!”

“Who said I was coming back around tonight?”

A shocked look.“What’re ya talkin’ about?I never suggested ya come back here an make good on all ya big talk!”

...oh, he was good.“Well... sure seems like you’re calmed down, so I guess I did my job.”Alcohol again; I winked and stuck my tongue out at him.“If you’re a good boy for the rest of the day, maybe I _will_ come back.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Officer.”

“Good time?”Grinning stupidly, I plucked the whiskey bottle out of his hand and took another drink from it.“If you call me drinkin’ all your liquor a good time, then sure.”

“Got somethin’ else ya can drink from, _babygirl_.”

Hopefully he didn’t notice me shudder when he called me that.

“Now get ya ass outta here b’fore you get in trouble.”He stole the bottle back from my hand, pointing at the door with his opposite fingers. 

“No more tantrums?”

A glare and a smirk.“Long as no one else pisses me off.Go.Out.”

I winked again and headed for the door, grabbing my coffee cup off the floor as I did.There was an envelope sitting next to it with a return address that looked vaguely familiar, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why... probably would when the alcohol wore off.“Catch ya later, G.”

“Lookin forwards to it, girlie.”

 

If I said I didn’t need to stop back at my place to change my panties before going back to the station, I’d be a liar.I hated myself for it, but Guzma was exactly the type I loved to fool around with - cocky, tough, and just a little overly aggressive.

_ We’re not jumping into bed with another asshole.We’ve done this before.It ends badly. _

...I’d keep telling myself that, anyway.

“How’d it go?”

I’d sworn Nanu was asleep when I came back to the police station, but no, apparently he just liked to work with his eyes closed and a Meowth on his lap.“Went as good as you could hope for,” I murmured, plopping down onto the station couch and releasing Scorch from his ball.

“Guzma give you any trouble?”

_Oh, he gave me trouble all right_. “We talked for a little bit and he cooled down.Guy’s just got some issues.” 

“Talked and drank, I assume.”One eye opened and looked at me with a toying gleam.“You smell like a distillery.”

“...I had to get him to calm down _somehow_.”Smiling back, I sank comfortably into the cushions of the couch.“Just relied on my instincts, went with what I know.”

Nanu nodded, sitting forwards as he opened both eyes.“Smart thinking - might make a decent Officer out of you yet.”

“ _Yet?_ I’d say I aced my first job!”

“Normally we don’t get inebriated at work.”

“...touché.”

The old man groaned as he stretched, slowly getting to his feet.“Find out what set him off?”

I shook my head, leaning forwards.“No idea.Plumeria said something weird though, not to mention his family or the Island trials?”

Nanu’s gaze darkened a bit and he nodded.“There’s a story there that isn’t my business to tell.”

“...Nanu, you’re a cop.We’re cops.Isn’t it our business to know everything?”

He looked away from me, the light glinting off his red eyes as he turned towards the kitchen.“Sometimes the less you know, the better off you are.”The old man disappeared into the kitchen and I heard him mess around with the coffee maker.When he re-emerged he had a fresh cup of coffee in his hand, and in the other my Pikachu mug.“Here.You’ll need it to sober up.”

“...we’re going to pretend you didn’t just leave a story untold right there?”

Setting my coffee in front of me, he sighed and turned to sit in his chair.“Guzma came from a bad family situation.We all saw it, we all should have intervened, nobody did.Old Hala just thought he couldn’t deal with the pressure of the Island Challenge.”A snort as he nursed his cup.“Naive.It wasn’t my jurisdiction so I couldn’t do much.When they told me Guzma ran away, I wasn’t surprised....probably better off.”

“What happened to him?”

A sideways glance from Nanu.“The Island Challenge is supposed to be fun.You’re supposed to learn and grow....but some people turn it into a competition.Like his family.”

“So... what, he got tired of them pressuring him and left?”

“...something like that.”Shaking his head, the old man murmured, “Best take Plumeria’s advice and not talk to him about it.”

The room suddenly spun and I blinked a few times to try and shake it off - that last shot I took from the bottle may have been the fated ‘one too many’.“Oh... hey, Boss?”

“Mmm?”

“Can I uh, skip the coffee part of sobering up and go to the laying down and regretting my choices part of it?”

I’d swear I heard Nanu laugh, but by the time my vision focused he was looking at me like a disappointed parent.“I suppose, the Tapu only know what I’ll do here without you on such a busy day.”

“...was that sarcasm?”

The old man smirked and nodded his head towards the door.“Go home and lay down for a bit, you took care of the Guzma problem so I’ll give you a pass for the day.Just try not to get wasted on my time anymore.”

I couldn’t help but snort a laugh and gave him a three-fingered salute, “Scout’s honor!”Then I turned around and did my damn best not to run out the door.

 

_ Well that was dumb. _

I put myself in danger.I could have gotten myself in serious trouble....then again, I was a police officer now.That was part of our job.

_ But not like that, dumbass. _

Groaning, I rolled onto my side and reached over to pet Scorch; instead of a warm, sleeping Litten I found my cold, lifeless cell phone.Dang cat naturally went to sleep at the foot of the bed instead of cuddling his poor, drunken (hungover?) mommy.

The phone was just as good for distracting myself - especially the text message I hadn’t realized I received, from one dust-mop Guzma. 

DONT 4GET THE BEER 2NITE

I laughed outloud and continued scrolling, coming across the photos he’d sent the day before and saving them to my camera roll.He reminded me a lot of some of the fondly-remembered assholes I used to know, probably the same type that those wayward teens would have grown into if they didn’t all find their way.I was one of the last to leave the street life from the old crew; I coulda stayed living like that for a few more years, but... with everyone going their own ways, it got lonely.And harder to stay safe.

I sighed and rolled over, thumbing through my photos - my place, Guzma, selfie of me in uniform, Scorch at the police station, Scorch at the ferry dock, and - ah, the boy in the photo again.Something about that smile-

My brain screeched to a halt and I zipped back four photos, to Guzma with his tongue out between two fingers.Then back to the boy in the photo.Then back again.“...no, there’s no fucking way...”

A flashed image in my mind, the envelope on the floor in Guzma’s room, the return address on Melemele, Route 2 - that was where I had been, that was where I took the...

Had I been staying at Guzma’s old house..?

I sat up, still staring in disbelief at the phone screen.That was him, there was no way to deny it - _he_ was the silver eyed boy in the photo with the proud smile.

All the things Nanu told me came rushing to the front of my mind: the pressure from his family, all the trouble at home... and suddenly I wanted to cry.Not so much for him as for myself, for both of us, two stupid kids who had the highest hopes for the world, and what did either of us have to show for it?Rap sheets, spotty backgrounds, questionable decisions, we were peas in a pod - a drunken mess off the streets and the king of the wasteland.

No wonder the boy in the photo captivated me so much; he _was_  me.Another teen runaway who threw everything-

_ No.You’re a police officer now.You can’t change the past but you can control the future.You’re finally doing the right thing. _

Sniffling, I laid back down into the pillows and stared at the Messenger screen of my phone.No wonder Guzma had gone off, he probably got a letter from home; if my parents put that much pressure on me, I’d explode hearing from them too. 

But they hadn’t.Dad passed away and mom was left with the five of us.I did everything I could to help before...

MOM, I MISS YOU.I’M IN ALOLA.LOOK AT MY NEW UNIFORM, I’M A POLICE OFFICER NOW!WILL CALL SOON.LOVE YOU, CALLIANDRA

I hit SEND before I could stop myself and tucked the phone under my pillow, a few tears escaping and falling onto Scorch’s fur as he curled up under my chin.“I’ll be ok, bud,” I murmured, nuzzling into him as I closed my eyes.“We’ll both be ok.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calli has a bleeding heart, especially when she’s been drinking. A visit from Plumeria is coming soon...
> 
> As previously, the chapter title comes from a song (which has been a big inspiration to my writing this, especially the end of the song): https://youtu.be/jEJVcOmEckM
> 
> Trying to update weekly until I get the rest of this written, I have bits and pieces of it done that just need to be connected and completed.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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